Guide to the Jack Sittsamer Papers, 1949-2008
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Jack Sittsamer Papers;
- Creator
- Jack Sittsamer, 1924-2008
- Collection Number
- MSS 554
- Extent
- 1.0 linear feet (1 box)
- Date
- 1949-2008
- Date
- bulk 1995-2007
- Abstract
- Jack Sittsamer was born on December 30, 1924, in Mielec, Poland. He was the only person in his immediate family to survive the Holocaust. Sittsamer was liberated from Gusen II, a sub-camp of the Mauthausen concentration camp near Linz, Austria, in May 1945. He immigrated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1949 and worked as a sheet metal worker. After his retirement, Sittsamer became active in Holocaust education and spoke at schools, bar/bat mitzvahs, and other special events. The collection consists of papers relating to his personal life and his involvement in the Holocaust Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
- Language
- The material in this collection is primarily in English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for this project was made available by the PNC Charitable Trusts-J. Samuel and Rose Y. Cox Foundation and the Giant Eagle Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
Jack Sittsamer was born on December 30, 1924, in Mielec, Poland. In March of 1942, the Jews in Mielec, including the Sittsamers, were forced by the occupying Nazis to march to an airport hanger. Sittsamer's father was executed during the march, and his mother, two brothers, and two sisters were killed later. Throughout the war, he was interned at Mielec, Wieliczka, Flossenberg, Letimeritz, Mauthausen, and Gusen II. On May 5, 1945, the Americans liberated Gusen II, a sub-division of Mauthausen near Linz, Austria, where Sittsamer was being held at the time. A retired Austrian nurse in Linz cared for Sittsamer and a friend until they were well enough to set out on their own. After leaving the nurse's care, Sittsamer traveled in Europe looking for surviving family members and learned he was the sole survivor of his immediate family.
Sittsamer immigrated to the United States on June 8, 1949, via the ship SS General Holbrook which docked in Boston, and arrived in Pittsburgh on June 10, 1949, under sponsorship of Pittsburgh's United Jewish Federation. Sittsamer learned English and began work as a sheet metal worker at Tyson Metal Products, from which he retired 36 years later. He became a United States citizen on March 17, 1955. For much of his life Sittsamer did not speak much about his experiences in the Holocaust. However, after his retirement in 1985, he began to share his story.
Sittsamer was active in the Holocaust Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and served as president of the survivors' organization. He spoke in classrooms ranging from the elementary to collegiate levels. He wrote letters to the editor and participated in dedications in remembrance of Holocaust victims at bar/bat mitzvahs. In 2000, Sittsamer traveled to Mielec, Poland, and, in 2004, to Austria. He returned to sites significant to his experiences before and during the Holocaust. His visit to Austria was initiated by an Austrian teen, Carina Voggeneder, as part of the "A Letter to the Stars" project, an educational project which connects Austrian teens with Holocaust survivors. In 2006, the Jewish Theatre of Pittsburgh in collaboration with the Holocaust Center produced a play, Mazel, written by Amy Hartman, which was inspired by his life. Sittsamer died on October 26, 2008.
Scope and Content Notes
The collection consists of Holocaust Center and personal papers, such as speeches, newspaper articles, photographs, and correspondence in forms of letters, email, and cards.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into two series: Holocaust Center and Personal. Folders are arranged alphabetically and documents arranged chronologically within each folder.
- Series I: Holocaust Center (c.1992-2008)
- Series II: Personal (1949-2007, bulk 1998-2007)
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Paula S. Reimer and Murray J. Sittsamer, children of Jack Sittsamer on September 2, 2009.
Preferred Citation
Jack Sittsamer Papers, 1949-2008, MSS#554, Rauh Jewish Archives, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Tara Bascom on July 21, 2010.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Related Materials
Brostoff, Anita and Sheila Chamovitz, ed. Flares of Memory: stories of childhood during the Holocaust. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2001. Catalog Designation: D804.195.F53 2001.
Separated Materials
Sittsamer's diploma from the Organization for Rehabilitation and Training in Eggenfelden on May 12, 1948; Sittsamer and Feldman family trees; and a chart of the "Principal concentration camps with their subsidiary camps" were separated into MSO#554.
Sittsamer's service pin for 50 years membership from the International Association of Sheet Metal Workers was separated to the Museum Division and given the designation of 2009.073.
Subjects
- Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Holocaust Center
- Jack Sittsamer, 1924-2008
- Pittsburgh (Pa.)
- Mauthausen (Austria)
- Mielec (Poland)
- Holocaust
- Holocaust survivors--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh
- Jews--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh--History--20th Century
- Education--Holocaust--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh
- Concentration camp inmates--Austria
- Concentration camp inmates--Poland